"Love Him or Hate Him, But You Gotta Respect Him" by TEE Shots (Senior Writer Tom Embrey)

Love Him or Hate Him, But You Gotta Respect Him

October 6, 2010

As a current member of the media, former sports scribe and current sports fan, I can honestly say from all three perspectives I hate Bill Belichick. But I willingly give the man respect as a football coach, tactician and builder of a winning organization. As a Redskins fan I wish we had him. You see Bill has taken a crummy team, revived it with talent, rode that talent as far as he could and collected plenty of trophies. But that isn't what makes him great. The fact that he has the guts to cut loose veteran players who have helped him win in order to replenish the organization with talent that will allow it to remain successful. The most recent example of this is the trade of Randy Moss. The Pats acquired Moss in 2007 from the Raiders for a 4th round pick. This week the Pats sent Moss, 33, disgruntled and in the final year of his contract, to the Minnesota Vikings for a 3rd rounder. No doubt, in the short term the Pats will miss the future Hall of Famer and his ability to help the Pats win. But there is also no doubt that his team will be better for years to come.

fwm2 2 years, 7 months ago

good call Tommy

BigE 2 years, 7 months ago

As an ex-Pat season ticket holder ('95-'09) I really appreciate Bill. I don't have to make a living writing about the team so I don't care if he keeps a tight lid on the information flow. Let's face it, his job is to produce a winner, not sell newspapers. If you want to see another side of the guy, listen via the internet to his segment on WEEI at 5pm on Mondays. He's relaxed, let's his hair down a little, and has fun with the Big O radio show crew.

Also... I haven't done an inventory but am fairly sure a large chunk of the team has played for less than 3 years. With 7 picks in the first four rounds of the 2011 draft, Bill and his staff will be in position to really build another dominating team for years to come. The anti-Patriot crowd will have lots to hate for a while! :)